Over the summer, I purchased my first car, with a chunk of my savings from working part-time in high school. I had to spend some money fixing a few mechanical and issues under the hood but as soon as that was finished, I immediately purchased a head-unit for my car. An Impala was a great decision because of the enormous trunk it comes with. It has about 19 cubic feet of trunk volume, which gives plenty of space for audio equipment and some extra room.
My Head-Unit
I was going to purchase and install an Eclipse AVN4430 head-unit. Eclipse is known for making great quality head-units with straightforward controls. I did, however, change my mind and purchased a JVC KD-HDR 70 head-unit. This basic head-unit is a major step-down, although I figured I may as well save the extra money I was going to spend on the Eclipse, and put it other use for my system.
My JVC KD-HDR 70 head-unit
The Equipment on my Shopping List
The Speakers
After plenty of research and browsing I've decided I'm going to purchasing an SA-15. This 15" subwoofer is a high-class subwoofer manufactured by Sundown Audio. This subwoofer is known for its excellent cooling ability and tough construction allowing it to handle much more power than it is rated for. The subwoofer is rated to handle 600 Watts of continuous power, however, it has been demonstrated to withstand up to 1200 Watts of clean, high quality power from well-made amplifiers. The subwoofer will be mounted in a 4 cubic foot ported enclosure tuned to 35 Hz. I'm hoping my enclosure will allow for an SPL level of 140 dB at peak.
Here is the SA family for size comparison.
Subwoofer Specifications
Re
4.61 ohms
Fs
34.88 Hz
VAS
54.69 L
Qes
0.72
Qms
6.52
Qts
0.65
Le
3.39 mH
BL
21.76 NA
Mms
338.85 g
Sens
86.81
RMS
600W
Once I have the subwoofer installed, I am going to look into Rockford Fosgate and Alpine 6" by 9" coaxial speakers to upgrade my mids and highs.
The Amplifier
I have not yet made up my mind on which amplifier I will have run my SA-15. I am considering various amps from Hifonics (only the new CEA complaints), Rockford Fosgate, RE Audio, Sundown Audio and more. I won't get into details about each amplifier because I have a list of about 16 amplifiers to narrow down.
When I purchase the coaxial speakers, I will look into an amplifier to increase their power as well.
Other Equipment
I also plan on purchasing a sound deadening kit to layer my trunk with. Sound deadener will reducing rattling from the bass and will also insulate the car better keeping more sound in the car, making my system louder inside the car, and quieter outside of it.
For wiring, I will be running 0 gauge where necessary and will perform an electrical upgrade known as the Big Three improving the electrical capabilities of a stock electrical system. Eventually when further upgrades are needed. I will be replacing the stock battery and alternator with an XS Power battery and an Iraggi or MechMan alternator for maximum power supply.
2003 Chevrolet Impala
Over the summer, I purchased my first car, with a chunk of my savings from working part-time in high school. I had to spend some money fixing a few mechanical and issues under the hood but as soon as that was finished, I immediately purchased a head-unit for my car. An Impala was a great decision because of the enormous trunk it comes with. It has about 19 cubic feet of trunk volume, which gives plenty of space for audio equipment and some extra room.
My Head-Unit
I was going to purchase and install an Eclipse AVN4430 head-unit. Eclipse is known for making great quality head-units with straightforward controls. I did, however, change my mind and purchased a JVC KD-HDR 70 head-unit. This basic head-unit is a major step-down, although I figured I may as well save the extra money I was going to spend on the Eclipse, and put it other use for my system.
My JVC KD-HDR 70 head-unit
The Equipment on my Shopping List
The Speakers
After plenty of research and browsing I've decided I'm going to purchasing an SA-15. This 15" subwoofer is a high-class subwoofer manufactured by Sundown Audio. This subwoofer is known for its excellent cooling ability and tough construction allowing it to handle much more power than it is rated for. The subwoofer is rated to handle 600 Watts of continuous power, however, it has been demonstrated to withstand up to 1200 Watts of clean, high quality power from well-made amplifiers. The subwoofer will be mounted in a 4 cubic foot ported enclosure tuned to 35 Hz. I'm hoping my enclosure will allow for an SPL level of 140 dB at peak.
Once I have the subwoofer installed, I am going to look into Rockford Fosgate and Alpine 6" by 9" coaxial speakers to upgrade my mids and highs.
The Amplifier
I have not yet made up my mind on which amplifier I will have run my SA-15. I am considering various amps from Hifonics (only the new CEA complaints), Rockford Fosgate, RE Audio, Sundown Audio and more. I won't get into details about each amplifier because I have a list of about 16 amplifiers to narrow down.
When I purchase the coaxial speakers, I will look into an amplifier to increase their power as well.
Other Equipment
I also plan on purchasing a sound deadening kit to layer my trunk with. Sound deadener will reducing rattling from the bass and will also insulate the car better keeping more sound in the car, making my system louder inside the car, and quieter outside of it.
For wiring, I will be running 0 gauge where necessary and will perform an electrical upgrade known as the Big Three improving the electrical capabilities of a stock electrical system. Eventually when further upgrades are needed. I will be replacing the stock battery and alternator with an XS Power battery and an Iraggi or MechMan alternator for maximum power supply.
Sources:
http://www.sundownaudio.com/index.php/products/item/sa-series.html?category_id=3
Image Sources:
http://www.lacar.com/images/pages/roy%20nakano/impala2003frontqtrlrs.jpg
http://www.gpsfever.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/JVC-KD-HDR44-HDR70-1.jpg
http://forums.trinituner.com/upload/data/ef/SA%20subs.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mUFjcZvIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
http://www.db-r.com/sell/store2/images2/subwoofers/sundown/SA/SA-family-01lg.png